by Charlene Douglas; The Rainbow Passage.

The more we understand the human-animal bond, the more we understand the feelings and emotions of grief when a pet dies. The animal companions of today fill many roles: they are members of our immediate families; independence for people with disabilities; and the hearts and souls of those people participating in animal-assisted therapy. When an animal-assisted therapy animal dies, the grief can be intense for the handler and for those who were surrogate families to the animal - those humans that the animal visited at various facilities, and the staff at those facilities.

Sometimes the handler is not the owner of the animal and may be surprised by the depth of attachment that has developed with the animal. Participants in animal-assisted therapy can get very attached to their visiting animals, becoming agitated when the animals are late or miss their visits. Handlers and participants must be given the time and support needed to grieve the losses of their friends and companions because, if only for very short periods of time each week, they have formed their own types of families together. New visiting animals should not be forced upon them. Handlers and participants will make their own independent decisions about when-or if-they want other animals. As with all pet losses, honesty and compassion will facilitate the grieving process.